The Federal Government has finally flagged off the Port Harcourt-Aba rail line for use by passengers two years after the Ministry of Transportation awarded the contract to China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC), a Chinese construction company.

The Minister of Transportation, Senator Said Alkali, who carried out the official flagging off ceremony, said the Port Harcourt-Aba line would aid trade and help in connecting the southern and northeastern part of the country.

He said the CCECC was given 36 months to rehabilitate the 62.0 kilometres rail line, noting that it will equally link the ports of Onne, Bonny, and Port-Harcourt to boost transportation and ports operations.

Alkali said: “This railway line will also link the ports of Onne, Bonny, and Port-Harcourt to facilitate the evacuation of goods and other freight through the Eastern Corridor.

“The Federal Government, in the contractual agreement, is to provide 15 per cent of the direct construction cost, inclusive of land acquisition and value-added tax, while a bank loan through direct construction cost is to cover 85 per cent of the project.”

He added: “With the completion of the rehabilitation of the Port-Harcourt to Aba rail corridor, the Ministry will continue to vigorously drive Messrs CCECC towards the speedy completion and delivery of the 181-kilometre Aba-Enugu stretch.

“Commencement of operations on this stretch of the project aligns with priority five of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Presidential Priority Areas, which identify enhanced infrastructure and transportation as enablers of growth for the economy.”